come on skinny love
by oh-the-linsanity
Summary: just last the year; -levi/petra


_i. and i told you to be patient_

"Ignore them," Petra soothed, putting a hand on Eren's head and ruffling his hair affectionately. He looked into her soft brown eyes and saw her attention was divided, her face cracked crookedly between annoyance and patience. His own eyes drifted and saw as she spared her other squad members disgruntled looks. "They're idiots," she added, and the corner of her lips quirked in a smile when Auruo protested loudly.

Eren attempted to match her own pretty smile in reassurance, but he shook too much, tasted too much copper on his tongue—he relaxed his jaw and when he opened his mouth, a small trickle of blood draped over his chapped lip and splattered on his chin and the palm of his hand when he went to wipe the evidence. Petra's brow furrowed and she clicked her tongue before she grabbed a rag and wiped Eren's mouth and hands. Holding his hand in hers, she inspected his fingers, noticing all the half-crescent patterns. "We should find a way for you to hurt yourself less," Petra mused.

Eren looked away as a few frustrated tears squeezed out from his eyes. "What's the point," he hissed, and he hated how childish he sounded, but he couldn't help it. He felt useless and helpless, just like a child. "I can't turn into a titan." He looked over at the rest of the men in Levi's squad. "They have every right to ridicule me."

Petra's small hand grabbed Eren by his chin, forcing his eyes to meet hers—her smile had returned. "Don't be like that," she said gently, and she went back to wiping the blood from his face and hands. A passing solider walked by and Petra kindly asked her to fetch a pail of water. "You'll get it eventually."

He opened his mouth to rebut, to yell, to protest in every way possible, but the lump in his throat burned uncomfortably and he feared that if he unscrewed his clenched jaw he'd start crying right there in the middle of the grassy field. Yet the whole time, Petra respectfully tended to his wounds, eyes half lidded, and he swore she was even humming a tune underneath her breath. "What's Levi going to think of me?"

Petra giggled as the soldier dropped the pail of water she'd asked for beside them. As she dipped the rag in the water, Petra said, "You leave the captain to me." She paused, eyes drifting to the sky in thought. "Or maybe Hanji," she laughed. "He won't be cross with you, I promise."

"He should be!" Eren yelped, voice cracking. "He's stuck babysitting me and he went to all this trouble to get me in the Scouting Legion and I can't even do what he asks—" he stopped abruptly when Petra took two of her fingers and grabbed Eren's nose. She twisted it playfully side to side.

"I told you not to be like that," she reminded him, and let go before she pressed the damp cloth to his hands—the cool water felt nice. "You'll get it."

"When?" he begged, as if she had all the answers.

She shrugged. "Who knows? Tomorrow, the next day….two months from now." She reached behind Eren and produced a roll of bandages from what seemed like mid-air. Confused, Eren tilted his head back, immediately regretting is when some blood started to trickle down his throat. His mouth parted in surprise as Levi stood above him, the same bored expression he always wore on his face. Eren wondered how long he had been standing there.

Levi let out a tired sigh as he gaze shifted between Eren and Petra. "We'll try again tomorrow," was all he said as Petra finished wrapping the bandages around Eren's hands.

"Try not to bite so hard next time," Petra warned him, and ruffled his hair again.

"You might bite your arms clean off." Levi said.

Petra looked past Eren and flashed the captain a cheeky grin. "We could always teach him to bit his foot."

"He's not that flexible."

"Guys?" Eren interrupted, still flustered that Levi had been behind him for quite some time. "Wouldn't my arms just regenerate?"

"Sorry," the two adults said simultaneously. "Shitty joke."

Petra collected her things and stood up slowly, not even pulling a face when her joints cracked audibly. "I'll be going over to deal with these idiots," she said, cocking her head to her teammates. "Give them a talking to."

Levi snorted. "Good luck."

She simply smiled and nodded before going to it.

Surprisingly, Eren fidgeted around, about to get up, with Levi sat down next to him. The two of them watched from afar as Petra talked to her teammates; Auruo looked outraged and huffy, Gunter looked ticked, and even Erd looked a little pissy. But the entire time Petra stood tall, as tall as her small stature allowed her, and the two watched as all her teammates features slowly softened to something gentle and kind—in a few minutes they were all laughing.

"How does she do that?" Eren wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Levi admitted. "But it's one of the reasons I selected her for my team." He fiddled with a blade of grass and pulled a disgusted face when a small ant snaked up to his finger, and he flicked it away. "Ever Patient Petra…" he mumbled under his breath, his eyes lingering on the strands of her honey hair that whipped in the breeze.

And later, when Eren picked up that goddamn spoon and damn well near destroyed the camp, Levi watched as his team surrounded Eren in an instant, their weapons drawn. The boys ran their mouths off, and with every word yelled, the young boy's chest heaved heavier with confusion and fear. Petra stood crouched and ready, grinding her teeth as her teammates shouted. Levi saw a single bead of sweat trail down her nose from her forehead before she looked him in the eye and finally said, "Get away from Eren, you're too close!"

"No, you're the ones too close," he told them.

Petra was the first to relent.

_ii. and i told you to be fine_

From the corner of his eye Levi watched as Hanji finished wrapping up the first of Levi's team, which happened to be Auruo's body. She looked around for a rag, but not being able to find one, she took to wiping the spare blood on a tree trunk. She hissed when she got a splinter and picked it out, already looking over at Erd was. "I can take care of this," she told him gently. "You can go back if you'd like."

Levi stared at Petra and counted the lines of creased skin, coated in blood, that ran along her twisted neck like rings on the tree trunk she was pressed into. "I've got Petra."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine."

_Fine. _The word fell out of his mouth clumsily and with regret. This wasn't fine. Petra wasn't fine. And as much as he didn't like to admit it, he wasn't fine either.

Peeling her body away from the tree trunk was harder than he thought. The blood had started to dry and created an ugly pattern on her right cheek as it had spilled from her nose when she was crushed. It looked like the wispy clouds she liked to look at in their free time, when she'd sit outside in the sun and write letters to her father.

_"I have to write him a lot,"_ she had said. _"He gets nervous."_

_"Rightfully so." _He had told her. He remembered asking her what it was she said, what words could possible calm his nerves while she was away.

_"It doesn't take much." _She had told him with a shrug. _'I tell him what I'm up to, how things are going, the people I work with…and then at the end I just write. 'Don't worry, I'll be fine. Love, Petra.'"._

_"And that works?"_

_"Yeah. Why wouldn't it?"_

"…Levi?"

He turned around slowly and saw three bodies, all wrapped up in blood soaked cloth. Hanji's gaze wasn't on him, but over his shoulder, looking at Petra. "We need to get a move on," she told him quietly.

Wordlessly, he finished attending to Petra's body and wrapped her carefully, ignoring how her broken neck had her head lolling endlessly. Before he covered her face, he licked the pad of his thumb and wiped away the blood that had pooled on her lips. Some of it was still wet and sticky on his skin, and he wondered how long it would take for the feeling to go away.

Too much time had passed for him to close her eyes; half lidded and relaxed, they looked up past the trees and to the sky and he found himself hoping she was somewhere up there, now.

As more soldiers came by to load the bodies on the cart, Hanji came up from behind and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. "I'm sorry, Levi."

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Ah," he mumbled, shrugging her hand off. "Let's go catch up with the others—I want someone beside Eren when he wakes up."

Surprised, Hanji bounded beside him. "Any particular reason?"

"He's…" he struggled for the right words. "God knows that kid won't be fine," he mumbled. He looked back at where they were loading the bodies on the cart. He saw Petra's hand fall out, the crescent shaped scar from where she bit herself shimmering in the sun like an ugly reminder.

"Not fine at all."

_iii. and i told you to be balanced_

He had taken her patch off her jacket when no one was looking, right before they all set back out to the cities, to the walls, to a grotesque homecoming of disappointed faces and broken families. Levi vaguely wondered if he could write Petra's father and sign it "It's all fine," and be done with it.

The horse trotted at a fair pace as they all stuck in formation. A few carts away, Levi saw Eren, still unconscious, with Mikasa by his side. He hoped she would be enough to calm him down when he woke up, whenever that was. He thought back to how Petra ruffled Eren's hair, how she calmed him down, how she was close but not too close, and he bitterly thought she would do a better job than the great Mikasa Ackerman.

But like all things seem to do, it went to shit. Men who went against his orders came running up on their horses, chased by titans. The corpse that hung on his back wouldn't last, not now.

None of them will.

"Just abandon the bodies," Levi told them, as the carts raced ahead, bobbing with the weight. "These guys are nothing special."

He fought the bile that rose in his throat.

And when the men through them off like sacks of flour, he turned around and saw the cape fly off Petra's body, the setting sun illuminating her gold hair like a halo, like an angel.

The patch in his pocket suddenly felt too heavy.

He gave it away in hopes of finding his balance.

They walked into the city to be greeted just as expected; with hatred and disgust. The soldiers were stark quiet and stared at their feet as they walked, with the sole exception of Eren, whose muffled cries were heard amongst the troops, mixed with Mikasa's poor attempts at soothing and shushing.

"I got Petra's letter…"

Her father is a mix of happiness and terror, an expression Levi never thought possible. The man looked so relieved, yet filled with such dread, like he knew what had happened, but he was never willing to accept his daughter's fate. Levi could relate.

"She was going to devote herself to you—"

He solemnly noted that she already had.

"She's so young….so much to experience…"

Behind him, Eren's attempts to mask his crying were failing, and the boy's anguish cries filled the air.

Levi let him cry for him.

_iv. and i told you to be kind_

_Dearest Father:_

_Great news! I've just been selected to be on Corporal Levi's squad!. It's dangerous, I know, but Levi's the best there is around. I'll be safe with him, I promise._

_There wasn't any way I could say no. He told me that I had incredible patience and wisdom, which was rare in soldiers. Said it reminded him of himself, could you believe that? I certainly can't! He hasn't met you though—you're the wisest of them all. He also was impressed with my assist count! He thinks I'm really going to balance out the team._

_I've admired him for some time, so I'm really happy that he's noticed. I know you think I'm all starry-eyed but don't worry—I've got plenty to worry about, there's no time to do anything about it._

_But I think there's a few things I can teach him as well. See, we're in charge of watching this one soldier, his name is Eren, and I think Levi could use a lesson or two in kindness. He beat the poor kid up to make a point. Although, that was kind of necessary…but anyway, I'm glad I'm on his team. At least I'll be there to show the kid some kindness._

_Speaking of which, be kind, daddy. This is a huge honor, so be happy for me. I'll be home soon._

_Don't worry, I'll be fine!_

_Love, Petra._

* * *

_who will love you?_

_who will fight?_

_and who wall fall far behind?_

* * *

AN: I hope each segment made sense. It's based off the chorus of "skinny love" by Bon Iver and I was trying to make a vague connection to the song, since I think it could relate to these two very well. Hmm. You can tell me how I did.


End file.
